Tail-light.



0. A. ERDMANN- TAIL LIGHT.

APPLICATION FILED mm. 1914.

Kw 11 4 m mm E M d M Q5 C m w an 0. A. ERDMANN.

TAIL uem.

' APPLICATION FILED MAY 2, i914- I 1,142,558. PatentedJune 8, 1915. 2SHEETSSHEET 2.

W Mm STATES-PATENT OFFICE.

OSCAR A. EBDMANN, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

TEL-LIGHT.

Bpeelfication of Letters Patent.

Patented June 8, 1915}.

Application filed May 2, 1814. Serial No. 385,836.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Osoen A. EBDMANN, a.citizen or the siding-at Detroit," in the county of" Wayne and StateoffMichigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tail-Lights, of which the following is a specification, reference being hadtherein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to a tail lamp forautomobiles and other vehicles,and the primary object of my invention is to provide a tail lampembodying a novel signal adapted to prevent collisions in the day ornight by a vehicle colliding with a preceding vehicle that stops 01turns to one side.

Another object ofthis invention is to furwith two main translucent ingrays of light through either plate, the shiftable" lamp being movablewith shutters that control the signals displayed by the tail lamp. v L

A further object of this invention is to provide a tail lamp embodying anovel signal thatis instantly operated by an initial movement of aclutch pedal, throttle or conhicle,

trolling lever of an automobile or other vewhereby the operator of afollowing vehicle will be signaled in sufiicient time to prevent arear-on collision.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a signal inconnection with a tail lamp and simple and efiectivc means forpositively actuating the signal from the forward end of a. vehicle.

With the above and other objects in View,

H the invention resides in the novel construction, combination andarrangement of parts to be hereinafter specifically described and .thenclaimed, and reference will now be had to the drawing, whereinv I Figure1 is a longitudinalsectional view showing a stop and danger signal; Fig.2 is a side elevation of a portion of an automobile equipped with thetail lamp, illustrating the actuating means of the signal of the lamp;Fig. 3 illustrates in elevation details of shutters forming part of thesignal; Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view of the tail lamp; Fig. 5is a longitudinal sectional View thereof showing the normal position ofthe signal, and Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view of a portion of thetail lamp.

' I The tail lamp comprises a rectangular Jnited' States of America, re-

. for a sm l 01 1 3 whereby a portion of he glet lhconsticasing having abottom plate 1,'end walls 2 and 3,- a front Wall 4, a rear wall 5, and atop plate 6 hood or dome 7 These elements can be stamped and pressedfrom sheet metal" and assembled to form a rigid and durable structure.

The front wallet of the casing has two circular openings 8 closed bytransparent plates 9 retained in engagement with the front wall 1 byinner sideof the front wall 4 has spacer blocksdl andconnected to saidspacer blocks is a. plate holder 12 provided with translucentvplates13and 14. The former is red to indicate danger and the latter is greenwith the word Stop thereon. This word isprominently displayed, forinstance, by making the characters of the word a. frosted white in colorpermitting of rays of light rendering the same visible at a considerable'stance.

provided with a entilating frames or holders 10. The V Between the frontwall 4 and the plate ment shaped slot 20 provided therefor the sectorshaped shutte r"16, this pin and slot connection allowing the shutter 15to be moved in advance of the shutter 16. After the shutter 15 is moveda prescribed distance, it picks up the shutter 1 by reason of the pin 19engaging an end Wall of the slot 20, and then said shutters moved insynchronism, assuming the position shown in Fig. 1, whereby a portion ofthe plate 13 is exposedthrough the opening 22 of the shutter 15. Theshutters 15 and 16 are limited in movement in one direction by one ofthe spacer blocks 11 and in the opposite direction by the other spacerblock and a stop pin 21, carried by the inner side of the front wall at.The stop pin 21 is enshown in Fig. 1, andthis shutter is held while theshutter 15 is shifted'intp parallel registration with the red plate 13,The shutter 16 is shaped to provideclearance ZZ-la he s u ter 10-5 gagedby the sector shapedshutter 16, as,

'tuting a small red danger signal, will be simultaneously displayed withthe stop signal. The shutter 16 covers the opening 22 of the shutter 15when said shutters are in front of the plate 14.

rack and meshing with said sector rack is a sector gear 24 forming theinner en of a horizontally disposed lamp holder 2o 19 'pivotallymounted, as at 26 upon a bearing 27 secured to the bottom plate 1 of theeasing adjacent to the plate holder thereof. The lamp holder 25 isadapted to be swung in a horizontal plane and the outer end thereof hasan incandescent-lamp 28 adapt ed to be positioned to cast raysof lightthrough either of the plates 13 or 14. Lead- ,ing-in wires 29areconnected to the lamp 28, said wires extending from a suitable sourceof electrical energy through the bottom plate 1 of the casing andthrough the holder in such a manner that said holder can be readilyswung in a horizontal plane without any danger of the wires eing 25broken. r Inaddition to the oscillatory lamp 28 there is a smallstationary lamp 30 posi-' 'tioned to castrays of light through the smallopening 22 of the shutter 15 when 30 said shutter is in parallelregistration with the reddanger plate 1 3. The lamp 30 is supported bya, bracket 31-secured to the side wall 3 and the top plate 6 of thecasing. 1n addition to the plates 13 and 14 there is a lense orbulls-eye 32 carried by the side wall 2 and a transparent plate 33carried by a door 34 forming part of the side wall 3. This transparentplate permits of rays of light being cast upon a. license card, tag

or-sign detachably secured toa flange or holder forming part of thecasing.

Reference will now be had to the operat ing mechanism of'the shutters 15and 16 which is best-shown in Figs. 2 and 4: Mounted upon the bottomplate 1 of the casing, contiguous to the side wall 3, is a post 37'andpivotally mounted upon the top of said post is a horizontally disposedbell crank 38. One end'thereof is connected by a rod 39 to a pin 40,carried by the arm 17 of the shutter 15. This same pin is connected by alink 41 to an end convolution of a coiled retractile spring 42, saidspring having the other end conrolution thereof connected to the sidewall 2 of the casing.

The bell crank 38 is connected by a rod 43 to a coupling member carriedby 'the rear wall 5 of'the casing. The coupling member is in the form ofa swiveled'andiaivoted bell crank comprising a plate 44' having atubular swivel connection 45 with the rear wall 5. Pivotally connectedto an end of the "plate 44, as at 46, is a bell or sector shaped crank47 provided with openings 48.

6 The rod 43 extends through the tubular The arm 17 of the shut-ter15has a sector tle or controlling lever.

'rod 49 while the clutch pedal 56 is shifted swivel 45 and isconnectedto the crank 47 at one of the openings 48 thereof. Another rodor (liable 49. is connected to the crank'4 at another of the openings48, said openings permitting of certain adjustments when necessary. Asshown in Fig. 2, the rod or cable 49 extends through a guide or stop 50carried by the frame 51 of an automobile or similar vehicle, said framehaving a bracket or support 52 for a socket member 53 carried iy th rearwall 5 of the lamp casing. The rod or ceole 49 extends forwardly and isconnected by a' turnbuckle 54 and a coiled spring 55 to a clutch pedal56, throt tle or controlling lever of the automobile or vehicle. Theturnbuckle 54 permits of adjustments being made and the spring 55 is ofgreater tension than the spring 42 within the lamp casing, whereby aninitial movement of the clutch pedal 56 shifts the shutters 15 and '16.It is through the medium of the spring 55 that a further movement of theclutch pedal 56 is permissible without impairing the connections betweensaid pedal and the shutters of the lamp. It is I their normal positionin parallel registration with the plate 14.

It is through the medium of the swiveled and pivoted crank 47 thatsuitable connections can be made between the shutters and the clutchpedal 56 irrespective of the position of the tail lamp, clutch pedal,throt- 10 From the foregoing it will be observed i that the lamp holder25 is swung in an op-'. posite direction from the shutters 15 and 16,and in this manner the main lamp or illuminating source is transferredfrom the red danger plate 13 to the Stop plate 14 when it is desired todisplay-a F Stop signal. Thisais all accomplished at the initialmovementiof the clutch pedal, thus making the display of a danger signalautomatic and in sufficient time for the chaufier of a followingautomobile to avoid collision.

To prevent the shutter actuating mechanism within the lamp casing frombeing injured by an actuation of. the clutch pedal 56', therod or cable49 is provided with an adjustable'stop collar 57 adapted to engage theguide 50 of the frame 51 and hold the beyond the initial movementthereof. .If necessary, this stop collar can be place upon the rod 43within the lamp casingte engage the rear wall 5. U

' It is thought that the operation and utility of my invention will beapparent without further description, and while in the drawings thereisillustrated a. preferred em-- bodiment of the ina'entiomit is to beunderstood that the structural elements are sus- 130 masses ceptible tosuch changes, as in the size, shape and manner of assemblage, as fallwithin the scope of the appended claims.

Vihat I claim is: l, In an automobile signal, illuminated plates, andshutters normally covering one of said plates and adapted to beshiftedto expose one of said plates and a. portion of another, and means formoving said shuttors.

2. In an automobile signal, illuminated Within said casing, shuttersatsaid plates and normally covering one of said plates and adapted to beshifted to cover a portion of the other plate, and means actuated by amovement of said shutters to shift said illuminating means from oneplate to the other. r

4. In a tail lamp, a casing, translucent plates carried thereby,illuminating means within said casing, movable shutters at said platesand normally covering one of said plates, said shutters bein arranged tomove whereby one of said shn ters moves in advance of the other andthereby exposes a portion of the other of said plates, and meansactuated by a movement of said-shutters tO ElllfbSald illuminating meansfrom one plate to the other. or

In a tail lamp, a casing, translucent plates carried thereby, shuttersmovable at said plates and adaptedto be shifted to expose one plate anda portion'of another, and a lamp shiftable from one plate to the other.

In .a tail lamp, a casing, translucent plates carried thereby, movableshutters covering one of said'plates and adapted to be shifted to exposesaid plate and a portion of the other plate, a lamp shiftable from oneplate to the other, and means for moving said lamp in an oppositedirection to said shutters.

'7.- In a tail lamp, casing, translucent plates arranged therein,movable shutters adapted to swing a lamp between said plates and of saidcasing and normally of said plates, said shutters within said casing thefront wall covering one being arranged to move prescribed distancesindependent of each other wherebys portion of one of said platesisexposed, a lamp holder movable in said casing and adapted to swing alampirom one plate to the other, and a connection between said lampholder and said shutter whereby said shutters and said lamp holder canbe actuated in unison.

8. In a tail lamp, a, casing, translucent plates arranged ther in,movable shutters at the front side of said plates and normally coveringone of said plates, a lamp holder movable at the rear side of saidplates and,

from one plate to another, and means for simultaneously moving said lampholder in an opposite direction to said shutters. v

9. Ill a tail lamp, a casing, translucent plates r arranged therein,movable shhtters at the front side of said plates and normally coveringone of said plates, said shutters being arranged to move prescribeddistances independent of each other wher'ebya por- 'tion of the otherplate is exposed by a shutter, a lamp holder movable at the rear side ofsaid plates and adapted to swing a lamp from one plate to another, andmeans for simultaneously movingsaid lamp holder and said shutters inopposite directions.

10. In a tail lamp, a casingytranslucent plates arranged therein,movable shutters at the front side of said plates and normallyheld infront of one of said plates, a lamp holder movable at the rear side ofsaid plates and adapted to swing a lamp from one plate to another, aconnection between saidshutters whereby one of said shiitters can beshifted a prescribed distance independent of the other shutter to covera por can of the other, plate, and a connection between said shuttersand said lamp holder whereby said shutters and said lamp holder can besimultaneously shifted in opposite directions. .i

In testimony whereof I a'fiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

Ainenll. Donn, CHANTELLE DALDER.

